Sharpener for single-edged razor blades



v Feb. 13, 1940. l i E` B CONNERAT 2,189,883

SHARPNER FOR SINGLE-EDGED RAZOR BLADES Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

BY() l i l ATIURNEY Feb. 13, 1940. E-B,' CQNNERAT 2,189,883

SIIAITFENERy FVOR SINGLE-EDGED RAZOR BLADES Filed Jan. zo, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 2 y INVENmR Y 70715152 Con/26x62? l' i i Mz' Mmmm Patendr'eb. 13, 194e UNITE lstares 1 SHARPENER ron. srNGLnaDGED lBLADES rtree vRazon e `Edwin B. Connerat, Richmond, va. e Application amiaryzo, was, serial No. 185,998 y l y. screams. (crisi-2121 handle provided'with a. ball aty one end engaging il) said ball-socket and forming a ball-and-socket joint therewith, said handle normally extending in the plane 'ofxsaidblade holder, ina line substantially' parallel with the cuttingedge of said razor blade; the said blade holder being adapted lf# to hold a razor blade with its cutting edge I fx-:aringv against a conditioning surface, such as the inner surface of a glass tumbler, for-exampleythe end of said rear extension-also bearing against'the conditioning surface during the sharpening oper- 20 ation; all `as more `fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed. 1

Sharpeners of` all types have. been suggestedior safety razor blades. While inany oi the sharpeners suggested have been found perfectly satis- 25 factory for use `in sharpening the double-edged type of blade, most of' these Sharpeners operate i Ona principle which cannot -be adapted readily to thev sharpening of the single-edged blades. The single-edged blades arev usually somewhat more expensive than thel double-edged blades but, when sharpened, they are vmore economicalto use. The lack of a wholly satisfactory sharpener for single edged blades has,` to at least some extent, prevented 'the more wide spread use of this type of blade. y

I have developed an improved Sharpener vfor single-edged razor blades which includes a blade holder for holding such a blade while itfis being rubbed against a conditioning surface, such as tothe `internal surface of a tumbler, for example.

My Sharpener is provided with a handle which is pivoted to the holder by means of a {ball-andsocket joint at a point just in the rear of the backof the blade. The blade holder .comprises 45.3, folded-over, rectangular section whichl forms a jaw member or pocket for receivingthethick back portion or"A the usual single-edged" blade. This pocket section is provided with a rearwardly extending portion which is usually yrectangular in :or shape and is folded over and vpressed in such manner as to produce a centralball-socket just tothe rear of the pocket section." `'lhisrear extension advantage'ouslyv projects a short distance beyond the ball-.socket and at its end is provided with a 55rear bearing surface which contacts the `conyand-socket jo-int therewith.;

, shown at 8 in Figs. 2,3 and 8. The upper end of .ditioning` surface during` the sharpening operation. The handle is provided with a ball on its end which engagesthe ball-socket forming a ball- The handle,- the pocket portion and the .rear extension i of the 5, helder -all lie in a common plane and the handle normally but not necessarily extends in a line `parallel with the cutting edge of the blade and also parallel with the bearing surface ofthe rear extension. The ball-and-socket joint enables. the lll entire cutting edge of the blade to Contact the -conditioning surface during the sharpening operation even though K,the hand may draw` the handle considerably out of line 1 with this cutting edge.`

The handle is positioned approximately midway v151i. i

between the two surfaces whichbearagainst the conditioning surface during sharpening. `The rear extension is made sufficiently long and is so shaped that the ball-and-socket joint does not touch the sharpening surface. 1 20 My invention can-"be `explained'more readily byreference to the accompanying drawings which show several Vmodifications of Sharpeners within thel purview of my invention. In this showing,

Fig. l is an elevation of my preferred form of sharpener, showing a blade inflthe holder,

Fig. 2 isl an enlarged sectional View along the line 2 2 of Fig. l; i f

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View along the line 3,-3 ofFignl, l u

Fig.` 4 is a showing of the rnetal blank `used in making the holder embodiment of Fig. l, l Fig. 5 isa modied form of holder, Figjf is a metal blank which canibe used'in making the modified holder of Fig. 5. i

Fig. A7 is a further modified form ofholder,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-section of the holder shown in Fig. 7, taken alongthe line 8--8, while ,Fig. 9 is a perspectivefvew showing my sharpenerinuse. f

In the various` figures like parts are designated by like reference numerals. The folded-over jaw e or blade-holding portion of holder is shown generally at i, while the rearwardly extending portion or` tongue element is shovim at 2. The handle 3 is provided `at the end with a ball l '(Fig. 2) while the rearward extension is provided with a socket 5, theseeicments forming a balland-socket joint. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the blade-holding portionof the holder is formed in two halves 6 and l, these elements forming a pocket or jaw to receive the back B5 of the razor 1 vblade 22. The foreward edges of this portion are bent together in crderto' bear upon the blade, as

the blade-holding portion is freely open to receive the razor blade while the lower end is pro- The holder shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 can be made conveniently from the metal blank shown in Fig, 4. This blank is rst punched from a sheet of metal and may be stamped in the same or in a subsequent operation, whereby it is bent along the lines a-a and b-b. The bends along the lines aa serve to form the -foreward bent edges 8 of the blade-holding portion, while the right-angled bends along the lines b--b are for the purpose of forming the rear of the bladeholding pocket. In the stamping operation the two halves II) of the socket 5 are also formed. The two halves of the blank are then folded together along the line d-d. If desired the rear edges of the pocket portion may be soldered or y riveted together, as shown at II in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 5 a modified form of holder is shown. This modification can be made from the blank shown in Fig. 6. In making the holder from the blank of Fig. 6, the upper part I2 of the rear ex tension is bent through an angle of 180 in a forward direction along the line -f. The two ears I3 and I4 are then bent at right angles upwardly from the plane of the drawings. The upper part of the pocket portion of the holder, which in this embodiment is made in two parts I5 and I6, is then bent forwardly through an angle of 180 along the line-e-e, the two ears I3 and I being passed through thecorresponding slots Ii and I8. The ears are then bent outwardly against the pocket portion, as shown in Fig. 5 and may be soldered to the latter if desired. This embodiment kenables a saying of metal but requires more bending operations than the other embodiments.

Still another modification of my holder is shown in Fig. 7.. This embodiment is made from two rectangular pieces of sheet metal, one of which is folded double lto make, the jaw portion andthe other of which is likewise folded to make the rear extension. The latter piece is folded around the former and may be secured to 'the latter by soldering or riveting, for example.

The rear extension 2 of the embodiment of Figs. '7 and 8 isenlarged, approximately in the form of a cylinder, as shown in Fig. 8. This em` bodiment can therefore be employed in connection with a planar conditioning surfacejsince the rear extension is suciently large so that its bearing surfaces 26 holdthe cutting edgel of a blade against a planar conditioning surface at the proper angle to produce sharpening. With this type of holder it is convenient to employ a conditioner having a honing surface on one side and a stropping surface on 'the other side, both of these surfaces being planar. n

One method of using my Sharpener is shown, more or less diagrammatically, in Fig. 9. A razor blade 22 is first slipped into the holder. Then a glass tumbler is grasped in the left hand, as shown, while the end of the knurled handle 3 is held in the right hand. The holder and razor blade are then slipped into the open end of the" the inner cylindrical surface of the tumbler. The holder is then rotated by the right hand in the direction shown by the arrow while the tumbler is held stationary, the bearing edges I9 and 20 rubbing against the inner surface of the glass. This procedure conditions only one side of the blade. The blade Amust be turned over andthe rotation of the holder reversed to condition the other -side of the cutting edge. In order to turn the blade itis merely necessary tomove the holder from one side of the glass surface directly to the opposite side witho-ut rotating the handle or blade. The holder may then be rotated in a reverse direction with the blade bearing upon the other side of its cutting edge. This operation may bek repeated as frequently as may be required to give the proper edge to the blade. I have found that it usually requires no more than two to'five rotations in each direction to properly sharpen a blade. It is evident, of course, that this can be accomplished in a minimum of time.

While I have described what I consider yto be the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is evident, of course, that many modifications can be made in the specific structures which have f tumbler has a diameter which provides approximately the optimum amount of curvature on its inner surface to be used with my holder, it is :v

possible to vary this diameter to some extent in either direction without seriously damaging the effectiveness of my Sharpener. For best results, however, it is desirable that the distance between the bearing edges I9 and 2i) should be correlated with the inner diameter of the conditioning surface. For this reason a standard tumbler or sharpening surface may be supplied with my Sharpener, having an inner diameter coordinated with the distance between bearing surfaces I9 and 20. If desired a special concave honing surface or stroppin'g surface may be supplied. It is possible to provide a detachable, enlarged rear extension, substantially of the shape shown in Fig. 8, which claspsy over a flattened extension of the shape shown in Fig. 2, for example, so that the holder can be adapted to be used either with a glass tumbler or with a fiat conditioning surface merely by removing or attaching the enlarged extension. The `rear extension can be made substantially the length of the blade-holding portion of the holder, if desired, but in this case thev lower end of this extension must be enlarged to provide sufficient space for the movement of the handle about the ball-and-socket joint. The blade holder of my invention can be made from sheet metal blanks having shapes other than those shown in the drawings. Various metals can be employed but I usually prefer brass which may be plated with nickel, chromium or gold, for example. The rear extension of the holder can be made solid if desired and may be weighted in. order that the razor 4blade will always face upwardly when the handle is held horisontally, unless the blade is pressed against the conditioning surface. Other modifications with- .in the scope of the following claims will be immediately evident to those skilled in this art.

What I claim is: l. A holder for the usual single-edged razor blade provided with' a thick back, comprising av pocket portion for receiving said thick backv and a handle attached to said pocket portion by means of a ball-and-socket joint at a point in the plane of the razor blade and to the rear of the center thereof, said handle normally extending to one side ofy said pocket portion in a linel substantially parallel with the cutting edge of said razor blade, saidholder" and handle being so constructed and arranged that, when a blade is inserted in said 'holder and the assembly is pressed against a surface, the blade is held with its .cutting edge pressed against said surface and can be drawn alongsaid surface by moving said handle substantially in the plane of n said `surface in a direction substantially perpendicular with its axis.

2. A sharpener for the usual single-edged razor blade provided with a thick back comprising a blade holder, having a -folded-over portion adapted to receive the thick back of said razor i blade, a central, rearwardly-extending, fiat tongue portion providedl with a ball-socket adjacent said folded-over portion and having a bear- 1 ing surface on each side at its rear end,`and a handle provided with a ball at one end engaging said ball-socket and` forming a ball-and-socket joint therewith, the axis of said handle normally `extending from said ball-and-socket `joint adjavcent toand parallel `with the back edge of said blade, the said blade holder beingvadapted to hold a razor blade with its cutting `edge bearingl against the cylindrical inner surface of a glass tumbler, the rear end of said tongue portion also bearing against the inner surface ofA said turnbler during the sharpening operation.

3. A blade-holder useful for sharpening singleedged safety razor blades comprising a pocket portion for receiving the thick back of the usual single-edged razor blade and a tongue element extending to the rear` of said pocket portion` and provided'with a bearing surface on each side adapted to contact a conditioning surface during y the sharpening operation, and a handle extending to one side of said blade holder and connected to said blade holder by Ymeans of a ball-andsocket joint at a point between said bearing surfaces and the cutting edge of the blade, the said blade-holder being so constructed and arranged that sharpening of la razor blade can .be accornl plished by pressing the holder withthe cutting edge of a razor blade and one of said bearing surfaces against a conditioning surface and moving the handle ina direction perpendicular to its` axis and to the axis of the cutting edge `of edged safety razor blades comprising a pocket plane of the conportionfor receiving the usual thick back of a n single-edged razor blade, a bearing element extending to the rear of said pocket portion provided with a ball-socket centrally located 'adjacent said pocket portion, and a handle provided with a ball at one end engaging said ball-socket and-forming a ball-and-socket joint therewith,

saidhandle normally extending in the plane of said blade holder in a line substantially parallel with the cutting edge of said razor blade;v the said blade-holder being adapted to hold a razor blade with its cutting edge bearing against a conditioning surface and with the rear end of said bearing element also bearing against said conditioning surface during the sharpening operation;

6. A Sharpener for single-edged razor blades comprising ablade holder having a pocket portion for receiving the usual thick back of a singleedged razor blade, a central, rearwardly-extending portion in the same plane as said pocket portion having a substantially cylindrical surface Aforming two rear bearing surfaces for holding a razor blade against a conditioning surface, said pocket portion and said rearwardly-extending yportion being symmetrical about the plane of ysaid blade, and a handle connected to said blade holder by means of a ball-and-socket joint at a` point between said pocket portion and said rear bearing surfaces normally extending to one .sidev of the blade holder in a line substantially parallel with the cutting edge of said razor bladeand being adapted to be moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to its axis and in a plane substantially coinciding` with the plane of said conditioning surface duringthe sharpening operation.

EDWIN B. CoNNERAT. o' 

